CIPD 2015: neuroscience and leading teams through uncertainty

“Transparency at times of uncertainty is the biggest gift that you can give to your people.” Dr Tara Swart is a neuroscientist, executive leadership coach and medical doctor. At the 2015 CIPD conference Dr Swart delivered a masterclass on the key concepts from neuroscience that can inform leadership and boost performance in organisations and teams. Among the subjects she covered over the course of her wide-ranging talk was the danger of uncertainty and how leaders can best guide their organisations through times of change. “If you’ve got high levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, then you’re more likely to avoid anything that feels risky,” said Dr Swart. “And the parts of your brain that are to do with memory and emotion, they’re in the limbic system – the amydala and…